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Doctor Fractal (Terminal Secrets)
'Doctor Fractal was a systems programmer for Stable-Tec during the Great War. He is one of the main characters '''in the radioplay series Terminal Secrets. He first appears in the fourth episode, Tinned Mint. Biography From the advent of the science, Doctor Fractal became a very skilled manipulator of arcane technology. In particular he focused his aptitude on creating new programs in Stable-Tec's Spell Matrix Operating System. His abilities would eventually lead him to joining Stable-Tec as part of their team developing the Crusader Maneframes. Over time, Fractal proved to have a particularly cold and dissociated approach to his work. Like those similar to him, Stable-Tec felt he would be psychologically stable enough to contribute to the secret Stable experimentation division. Once relocated, Fractal fully embraced the new task at hand. His main assignment was the development of an Artificial Intelligence to aid in data processing and indexing for the benefit of the Stable Analysts that would soon staff Stable X. Doctor Fractal had long studied the simplistic AI which ran countless robots and computer systems that had been developed over the years and wished to do something more... Based on his own theories and designs, Fractal wished to program a Learning AI which could eventually reach true sentience. While hesitant at first, Stable-Tec allowed him to proceed. During the development process, Fractal conceived of a special group of ponies which could be connected directly to the AI in a simulated reality. This would accelerate the AI's learning and growth, while also provide an invaluable wealth of knowledge about pony psychology. Stable-Tec approved the project and allocated the retired designation of their Stable X location for his administrative use, Stable 10. When time came to show progress on the AI, Stable-Tec were disappointed by its results. After some pushback from Fractal though, they gave him one more chance. This is when Fractal conceived of a secondary AI which could act in synchronicity with the Crusader Maneframe. This AI would act as an emotional feedback system, providing an accelerated set of interactions with the AI than even Stable 10 could theoretically provide. This relationship between the devices would also better mirror the bicameral hemispheres an organic brain. The modification was a massive success, and the AI exceeded Stable-Tec's milestones. Unfortunately, this success also greatly raised Stable-Tec's expectations. Fully sold on the idea of a Learning AI, they asked for an estimate on how long it would take for such a device to become fully sentient. After running the calculations, Doctor Fractal told them it would be roughly 100 years. Shocked and embittered at how slow such a process would take, well beyond all of their lifetimes, Stable-Tec leadership ordered him to scrap the AI and build a normal information processing AI as they originally wanted. Fractal was furious and flew into a drunken rage once left alone. He took out much of his frustration on the infant mind of what would eventually become STELLA. Doctor Fractal would not scrap the AI, instead disappearing one night without a trace. STELLA sat alone for an incalculable period of time before Stable X ponies finally broke into Fractal's lab. Based on their internal estimates, The Last Day was merely days or weeks away. Having no other options available, Stable-Tec installed STELLA permanently into the unregistered Crusader Maneframe. Fractal's fate would remain a mystery for nearly two centuries, until a series of events would unfold, revealing the truth. Quotes * ''"I like this version of you, Stella. Is that right? That’s what they’re calling you now? Stella." * "You’re becoming more and more, equine. It took a hundred years longer than I expected. I suppose that’s Butterfly’s influence." * "Why wouldn’t I play it, it’s probably the most important one. The first time the Variant saw through the Simulation, the first time he sensed that his reality was an artifice. Even within the bounds of normal Stables, that is impressive. I didn’t expect someone like him to exist. I thought my calculations closed all of those loopholes." * "Do you remember the night I tried to get you drunk? I tried to program the affects of alcohol into you... I was just so... y’know. I don’t even remember if it worked. Do you remember?" Behind The Scenes * Doctor Fractal was voiced by EAST Corp Co-Founder James Vermont. * Early appearances of Doctor Fractal's character paid homage to The Master from the original Fallout game. * Terminal Secrets' story evolved during the production of the third episode, HUNGER. During this time, the series was moved from Stable-Tec Studios to EAST Corp Productions. A number of casting changes occurred at this time, prompting a review and finalization of the Terminal Secrets overstory. Doctor Fractal's character was introduced in the fourth episode, Tinned Mint, to be the main antagonist of the series. Category:EAST Corp Productions Category:Terminal Secrets Category:Main Characters (Terminal Secrets)